Arkansas Plant Board Approves Stiff Fines for Spraying Dicamba
Arkansas Plant Board Approves Stiff Fines for Spraying Dicamba
After Wednesday’s unanimous vote by the Arkansas Plant Board, Arkansas farmers are one step closer to facing fines of up to $25,000 for spraying Dicamba and related herbicides. The Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 778 in March that allows for higher fines for Dicamba spraying. However, the Plant Board has to enact a new fine and civil penalty matrix to be approved by the Governor prior to the stiffer fines going into effect.
The current fine for spraying Dicamba is $1,000. The sharp increase in the fine was prompted by widespread Dicamba spraying by farmers last summer to counter a pigweed infestation in their Dicamba-tolerant crops. The chemical frequently drifted to adjacent lands damaging non-Dicamba-tolerant crops.
If the new penalty matrix is approved by the governor the fines will go into effect on August 1st.
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